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A Stickler for the Truth?

The Anna Raccoon Archives

by Anna Raccoon on May 17, 2013

The BBC programme Newsnight and its ability to truthfully portray events has been of interest to Raccoonistas for some time now. It is fair to say that we have a distinctly jaundiced view of its agenda.

We formed that opinion back in the days when ‘someone’ mysteriously leaked to a number of journalists that a programme had been suppressed ‘from up on high’ (that old conspiracy chestnut) – the original Meirion Jones ‘story any journalist would want’ on Jimmy Savile. Equally mysteriously, information gleaned for that programme, which was later proved to have been correctly decided by Peter Rippon to have been of a lower standard than you should if not could expect from the BBC, found its way to ITV and the result was the ‘Exposure’ programme made by Mark Williams-Thomas, which thankfully was overlooked for its expected BAFTA award, leaving poor Mark ‘gutted’……

Newsnight was not finished in its spirited attempt to ruin the reputation of the BBC, a month later they commissioned Angus Stickler of the laughable ‘Bureau of Investigative Journalism’ to make the appalling documentary which resulted in Lord McAlpine returning from his sojourn in Italy to the beat of the lawyer’s drum.

You might have thought, after the undignified belly-flop performed by the dyed in the wool Labour supporting Bureau of Investigative Churnalism – landing wallet up in front of Lord McAlpine’s lawyers – that we might have heard the last of them. But no! After costing the BBC £185,000 plus undisclosed costs, Angus ‘I’m a Stickler for the Truth’ has succeeded in wounding the BBC once more.

Yesterday, the BBC was forced to apologise to the military charity Help for Heroes, after yet another programme made by Angus ’I’m a Stickler for the Truth’ was shown to be somewhat short on the old veracity. Indeed, the internal investigation discovered that “there was no evidence to back Newsnight’s claim about Help for Heroes”.

The BBC portrayed criticisms about overall support by a number of agencies as specific criticisms of Help for Heroes. This unfair impression was reinforced by our coverage of the story in other outlets.

“In addition, the Newsnight report contained interviews with two contributors which were edited in a way which misrepresented their views.”

So, the BBC has put its hands up and accepted the blame for yet another programme made by Angus Stickler! Why were they so enamoured of this journalist whose coverage of the original North Wales Children’s Home ‘abuse’ had already been comprehensively rubbished. His impeccable left-wing credentials may have been partly to blame.

It is with some relief that we note that Newsnight now has a new Editor. Ian Katz. Will we now see more balanced reporting?

Hmmm. Ian Katz was formerly Deputy Editor of….er, The Guardian. Not looking good is it? There he displayed the left-wing dislike of Republican politicians to amusing effect:

Clark County

In August 2004, for the US presidential election, the daily G2 supplement launched an experimental letter-writing campaign in Clark County, Ohio, an average-sized county in a swing state.

G2 editor Ian Katz bought a voter list from the county for $25 and asked readers to write to people listed as undecided in the election, giving them an impression of the international view and the importance of voting against US President George W. Bush.

The paper scrapped “Operation Clark County” on 21 October 2004 after first publishing a column of responses – nearly all of them outraged – to the campaign under the headline “Dear Limey assholes”.

The public backlash against the campaign likely contributed to Bush’s victory in Clark County.

That went well! One American writer who railed against this ‘Guardian initiative’, memorably described the Guardian readers who responded as ’stupid, yellow-toothed pansies‘. I must remember that one!

20 years editing the Guardian? Does that give you the expertise to stand up to reporters who want to produce badly researched and evidenced programmes because they have a ‘thing’ about the subject? We shall see.

Ian is a typical left wing luvvy from the Islington set. He lives in a ‘handsome town house in Islington’ with his ‘tall and athletic-looking, with great hair – blonde, thick, blow-dried’ wife. (It’s her hair that is thick, not her!) How do I know? Well because Justine was part of the ‘Klondyke rush to pitch a stake in cyberspace [which] led otherwise perfectly sensible people to resign from their jobs in a frenzy of e-Commerce excitement only to come a-cropper after the millions failed to materialise from the ether. Justine, however, had young children and was motivated by a desire to achieve that most elusive Fata Morgana of modern motherhood: a work-life balance.’

And she did. With Mumsnet, that den of patronising online conversations about cracked nipples, the merits of cloth versus disposable nappies, and why little Tarquin won’t eat his organic carrot bake. The spiritual home of the phrase ‘baby dancing’ as shorthand for sex…Sheesh!

I fear Newsnight will continue going to the dogs, hounded headed by Katz.

@MewsicalAlison Levitt could presumably answer the question because she has met Ms.A, who, The Sun has proudly told us, is actually “Jill”, from Worthing….. Nothing like maintaining the victim’s anonymity…….

My last blogpost highlighted this as well as the fact that Ted Beston’s arrest may well have been on the basis of the corroborative statements made by “Penny” and “Sandra” who now appear to be the same person. I kid you not.

There has been a recent kerfuffle over a report at the west Yorkshire Police which seems to revealed that Yewtree never got round to interviewing very many of their “victims” because it turns out lots of the addresses the NSPCC were given are false. Presumably that didn’t stop them appearing on those silly charts and graphs last January.

LucozadeMay 21, 2013 at 19:08

Moor Larkin,

Re: “There has been a recent kerfuffle over a report at the west Yorkshire Police which seems to revealed that Yewtree never got round to interviewing very many of their “victims” because it turns out lots of the addresses the NSPCC were given are false. Presumably that didn’t stop them appearing on those silly charts and graphs last January”

Bebe Roberts was never anywhere near Jimmy Savile. She was not at Duncroft during the period Savile came there, i.e. 74-76. That photo is one she plastered all over the internet before she went to the Daily Mail with her lies. As far as the rest of them, they’re all liars. Cogger is on record as saying that when Savile did try to touch her she smacked his hands away and told him to leave her alone, which he did. She said he just walked away. Then later, she shows up as the beef biryani girl, in the company of Fiona SJ, neither one of them having the sense to simply get up and leave the television room, apparently, after the alleged ‘groping under the blanket.’ I’m sick of looking at their damn fool faces, or listening to any of their lies. Emotionally disturbed then, and emotionally disturbed now, far as I’m concerned.

rabbitawayMay 21, 2013 at 16:32

Hi Mewsical – glad you had a look – I too am sick of the sight of all of them but we’re dissecting the Levitt report etc on Moor’s and his photo of ‘Jill’ jogged my memory … ‘is all’ Cheers

rabbitawayMay 21, 2013 at 14:54

Hey good folk – help us out here. Does anyone agree that the two people named as Bebe Roberts and ‘Jill’ are actually the same person. There’s a strong resemblance as far as I’m concerned !! Scroll right down the page, I’m not sure about the shape of the face, but the eye’s ????

I want to share an extract from Moor Larkin’s blog chapter entitled ‘Hell hath no fury’. These few lines had such an impact on me on Saturday night – give the chapter a read or at least consider this …..

‘I cannot imagine any celebrity daring to set foot in anybody’s hospital for the next thirty years if something is not done to put the record straight about Jimmy Savile. Jimmy Savile has been dismissed recently as a proto-chav. Maybe he was, he was certainly as common as muck.BUT………However superficial his job was, he himself was not just some hollow celebrity, but rather he made himself a into a man of substance. The casual way his wholeness has been cast aside illustrates an extremely dangerous superficiality about the current British Establishment and the British public themselves.’

So now we can dissect Alison Levitt’s report AGAIN ….. I only had to read the summary to find a rather large flaw –

‘Nothing would suggest that the alleged victims had colluded in their accounts nor that they were any less reliable,than say a victim of a burglary…..’MS Levitt disagrees with the police who, at the time treated the ‘allegations’ with ‘… a degree of caution which was neither justified nor required’

My conclusion on her report so far – She is very obviously biased in favour of the ‘alleged victims’ ….. to be continued on Moor’s blog !

PS she did meet 3 of the original complainants from 2007 – 2008 and she found them to be ‘credible’ ….. dear me !

BackwoodsmanMay 19, 2013 at 11:54

Surely one of the MP’s on the Culture Media and whatever Committee , should be enquiring into the exact details of the process used to appoint Mr Katz ?Quite how an editor from a failing, low circulation, overtly left wing print medium and one responsible for such a fiasco as Mr Katz, came to be chosen for a position with an impartial national television broadcaster !

LucozadeMay 18, 2013 at 20:54

Moor Larkin, Rabbitaway,

Re: “Surely someone must have been upset by the ‘other side of Jimmy Savile”

I think one of his nephews was….

rabbitawayMay 18, 2013 at 22:03

Luco’/Moor – I love that tweenie vid especially the little noise’s Max’s audience are making in the background – ah bless xx

@ Surely someone must have been upset by the ‘other side of Jimmy Savile’ @

They say only 2 million watched it.It would have been 2 million and two but Entwhistle and Patten were out to dinner ….

This complaint tickled me though….

PUBLICATION: The SunCOMPLAINT:Ms Karin Ward complained to the Press Complaints Commission under Clause 1 (Accuracy) of the Editors’ Code of Practice about a photograph which featured in an article reporting on the extent of Jimmy Savile’s abuse. The complainant was concerned that the caption had inaccurately identified her as one of those included in the image.RESOLUTION:The matter was resolved when the newspaper wrote privately to the complainant, apologising for its error and the distress caused.DATE PUBLISHED: 04/01/2013http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/index.html?article=ODE5OQ==

rabbitawayMay 18, 2013 at 22:05

Moor – well done for finding that. I couldn’t think of the name of the complaints organisation – pcc – cheers

Dave the DogMay 17, 2013 at 23:17

binao-” We don’t pay a fee to enable programme makers to indulge their prejudices.” Precisely!

I think it is high time the BBC license was scrapped, it is well past it’s sell by date and leaves little space for local radio channels. It could continue as a subscription choice. Not having to earn money they just don’t care, don’t reflect majority views and shout down opposing opinions and it is a truly regressive tax. There is no need for public funding now, especially when we are treated with contempt by their champagne socialists.

binaoMay 17, 2013 at 19:36

The BBC may be a class act compared to some, but it’s way past the stage of being regarded as an impartial and balanced reporter of news and current affairs.I do think there is a place for an independent national broadcaster providing some core services free to air. I really can’t understand why the rest of it should be anywhere except in the private sector. If it’s so wonderful, yes, set it up as a subscription service.We may accept that the sneering lefty liberal attitudes displayed by the BBC are part of the media culture, but there is surely an obligation to uncritically acknowledge other views. We don’t pay a fee to enable programme makers to indulge their prejudices.The alternative is that I’m wrong, but at least I’m prepared to accept that there are other viewpoints.

Ancient + Tattered AirmanMay 17, 2013 at 18:50

The Headquarters of the Fabian Society are clearly alive and active in the comfy embrace of the BBC – and we pay for it!

It never fails to amuse me that Messham is judged to be as crazy as a bedbug, but the Duncroft contingent, who are/were “emotionally disturbed” (this is their own description of themselves, btw) are somehow treated as if everything they say is should not subject to scrutiny despite the fact they were in a psychiatric institution with padded cells, pin-down and injections of elephant tranquilizer – if we’re silly enough to believe one word they say.

MelanieMay 20, 2013 at 11:07

Actually it was a Community school in the Mid 70s with the emphasis on Education, very few sessions with any sort of Psychiatrist and the Padded cell was a medical facility .

Melanie – like I said “if you’re silly enough to believe one word they say.” However, they’d have it that it was for ‘emotionally-disturbed’ girls, and it’s their version I’m quoting. However, Margaret Jones has said that there were ‘padded cells’ which were known as ‘soft rooms.’ As Pamela Mason, who was the consulting psychiatrist in my day, obviously continued on into the 70s, as she was in at least one of the photos of Savile visiting the school, so she must have been doing at least something. No medical stuff went on there without a properly-licensed doctor overseeing the situation and writing orders. As far as an emphasis on education, well, they got their exams, and that’s about it as far as I can tell. Were you there?

Well Anna the Uber Raccoon manages to find yet one more creatures waaaay down the evolutionary scale —this time hiding in the murk and slime of the media pond—–would never have known this creature existed without looking through my window and seeing the Uber Raccoon out and going about her business in France. So thanks Anna —those sausage sandwiches seem to work magic!!!!

“A while back, I ran a blogpost asking the question, Who Investigates the Investigators, I was of course referring to the investigative journalists. Well, one thing is now clear to me. They were certainly not going to be being investigated by the Police. ACPO had them on a leash and they were the attack dogs.”http://jimcannotfixthis.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/nothing-like-truth.html

Duncan DisorderlyMay 17, 2013 at 12:36

Most will have seen the following highly prophetic Webster article, but I will put the link here anyway. Webster takes Angus Stickler to task for not giving right to reply to someone accused of trying to cover up child abuse, in a BBC production – in 2004! And Steve Messham makes an appearance!

“The central issue is that Angus Stickler chose to make a serious allegation against Jevons without inviting him to respond to it, or even alerting him to the fact that it was going to be made. This approach is strikingly at odds with that described by Jenny Cuffe when she writes that ‘Our approach is invariably sceptical, but always fair’. It inevitably tarnishes the well-deserved reputation of the programme.

What was even more surprising was Angus Stickler’s choice of his next witness. ‘Our investigation,’ he said, ‘has discovered serious concerns about the validity of some of the documents presented at the Waterhouse inquiry.’ In support of this claim Stickler used extracts from an interview with Steven Messham, a former resident of Bryn Estyn and other homes who, said Stickler, ‘alleges he was sexually assaulted by 80 different men including a peer of the realm’. Messham said that it was clear that some of the claims he had made were not supported by the social services documents which were produced at the Tribunal. From this he drew the conclusion that, as his solicitor put it (while making it clear that he was expressing the opinion of his client) ‘the files had been doctored.’”http://www.richardwebster.net/print/xfileon4.htm